1) On May 8, 1865, Confederate general William T. Sherman issued Special Field Order Number 65 which officially declared an end to the Civil War in Georgia.
2) May 8, 1886 marks the founding of Coca-Cola, which was invented by pharmacist John Pemberton in Atlanta.
3) In 1975, May 8th was declared "Georgia Day" by the Georgia General Assembly in honor of James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder and first governor of the colony of Georgia.
4) On May 8, 1977, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Iakovos met with Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King in Atlanta to discuss civil rights issues and promote unity between the African American and Greek Orthodox communities.
5) May 8, 2003 saw the opening of the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, which is now the largest aquarium in the Western Hemisphere with over 100,000 marine animals.